The Hoosier Energy Apprenticeship Training & Safety (HEATS) program recently added 36 new graduates during a ceremony at French Lick Resort. The HEATS program began in 1975 and has grown from a simple training tool for cooperative employees into a way to develop a wide range of skills across the industry.
The 2024 graduating class featured 15 lineman graduates, 12 MSR (member service representative) graduates, and nine substation graduates. Nine Hoosier Energy member cooperatives were represented in the lineman graduating class.
Lineman graduates were:
- Courtney Metzger, Ethan Smith, and Jerry Smith of Bartholomew County REMC
- Wyatt Binkley of Clark County REMC
- Tyler Schnell, Kory Voelkel, and Andrew Weidenbenner of Dubois REC
- Bobby Frasur of Henry County REMC
- Jared Bartlett of Hoosier Energy
- Derek Davis of Jackson County REMC (academic award winner)
- Jennifer Fugate and Sam Wood of JCREMC
- Chris Pile of RushShelby Energy
- Noah Williams of Whitewater Valley REMC
- Alex Kitchin of WIN Energy REMC
The MSR graduates featured Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative for the first time. While linemen keep their safety training focused in Illinois, the MSR class provided an opportunity for Wayne-White to take advantage of HEATS. Graduates were:
- Dara Belangee
- Wes Clark
- Matt Garner
- Caitlin Glisson
- Denice Kinney
- Misty Kitley
- Kandras Kunkel
- Alyssa Parrott
- Kim Rodgers
- Derick Trout
- Landon Vaughan
- Lisa Vaughan
The substation graduates, all from Hoosier Energy, were:
- Jeff Carter
- Todd Chenoweth
- Lance Ellett
- Ryan Foster
- Cody Morgan (academic award winner)
- Cameron Thomson
- Scott Smith
- Greg Welsh
- Jimmy John Yeryar
Earlier this fall, there were also 17 graduates of Advanced Climbing School as part of the HEATS program. Those were:
- Robby Allen and Broden Goodman of South Central Indiana REMC
- Zane Anderson, Zackory Moorman, and Jacob Wente of UDWI REMC
- Gage Back and Luke Sullenbarger of RushShelby Energy
- Andrew Cross of Whitewater Valley REMC
- Robert Garza and Bryce Gentry of Clark County REMC
- Ben Harlemert, Mitchel Meyer, and Morgan Sutton of Southeastern Indiana REMC
- Caleb Miller of Daviess-Martin County REMC
- Max Rickelman of Southern Indiana Power
- Ethan Smith of Bartholomew County REMC
- Josh Smith of WIN Energy REMC
